Monthly Archives: September 2009

The above map was modified to give visitors to the Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893(A.K.A. The Worlds Fair) a guide to the city of Chicago and a subtle suggestion as to where to lodge, especially for the Christian visitors.

Notable locations on the map in regard to the Worlds Fair of 1893 are indicated by a red hashed area located in the southeast portion of the map. Details of the Columbian Visitors’ Association’s “South Shore” building and it’s location in relation to the World’s Fair Grounds are illuminated by an inset map set in Lake Michigan.

Above and Below: World’s Fair Grounds 1893

The “South Shore” Columbian Visitors Association

While not the primary focus of the map, many of Chicago’sParks and Cemeteries are noted on the map in the color of green.

Chicago has a long and interesting history, but this weeks map only provides a snap shot of the city in 1890. Hopefully I’ve covered some of the more interesting features, but I’m sure I’ve missed a multitude of fascinating stories and facts. Please feel free to take up where I’ve left off, there are many more parks, cemeteries, and places of interest left on the map to explore!

The primary focus of our blog is to bring geography to our users in a fun and lighthearted fashion. Which, we hope you agree that we have. But some of you may be ready for more detailed coverage of the modern geospatial community. For those of you who want the most current news on cutting edge geospatial technology, and trends in geo-industry please visit our friends at:

Their website features Audio and Video Podcasts, and quick blog posts to elucidate their audience of tasty geography tidbits and fresh off the press geo-news. Outside the Neatline was very fortunate to be highlighted in their latest podcast in the Web Corner segment (episode #217). Please check it out! Thanks to Jesse, Sue, Frank and Barb!

Not too bad, how does your geographic knowledge stack up? Click on the picture below to see CNN’s reporter Jeanne Moos provides an entertaining overview of Al Frankens ability. Pay attention to when she asks “can you find New York on a map?”.

If you’re out of practice on naming your states we’ll provide you with some fun online games that will sharpen those rusty skills (Thanks to Veryspatial.com for listing the first 3 links in their excellent blog!):

TEACHERS!We at Outside the Neatline would like to show of your students knowledge of geography and map drawing skills. We would like to see student submissions from elementary school students or classes so we can post their work for the mapping world to see! We will leave the submission date open so that we can highlight your students hard work throughout the year.

You can submit your cartographic masterpieces in one of two ways:

(1) as a digital image attached to an email sent to: jeffrey.dunn@uconn.edu

Tsete flies (Genus Glossina) have several species that exist on the African continent. On Map 1 you can see that there are several species of Glossina listed. These species have slightly different habitats as shown below (click the links for modern day maps, how do they compare to the 1909 maps?):

Trypansomiasis can be a fatal disease that first causes the lymphnodes to swell, insomnia at night and fatigue by day (hence “sleeping sickness”). For a list of symptoms and stages of the illness click here. It was not until 1902-1903 that it was discovered by Sir David Bruce that the tsetse flies were the vector for this parasitic disease. This cognitive leap must have prompted the mapping of tsetse fly habitats and distribution to predict the occurrence of sleeping sickness and take initial steps in mitigating the disease. Turn of the century GIS!Oh yeah, if you want some GIS data on tsetse fly distribution, check out this page sponsored by the FAO.